Conor McGregor will be “embarrassed” in his planned boxing match with Manny Pacquiao and will then turn to Jake Paul because of pay-per-view appeal, the one-fight rookie has claimed in the latest farcical celebrity fight call-out.
McGregor will make his return at UFC 257 against former victim Dustin Poirier after a year out in January, and a meeting with Pacquiao – described as “one epic last boxing fight” by the boxing great’s lawyers – is still on the cards for later in 2021.
Paul, who describes himself as a professional boxer and musical artist on a YouTube channel that has racked up almost seven billion views, has insisted that a fight between himself and McGregor is inevitable once the 23-year-old adds two more wins to his victory over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib on his debut last January.
“Look, it’s bound to happen,” Paul told CBS Sports, in an announcement that would appear misguided if only for the fact that the newcomer weighed in for his maiden contest more than 40lbs heavier than McGregor’s usual weight.
He’s out of his damn mind. https://t.co/bU4GXrOeQQ
FIGHT WEEK. PRBLM CHILD ACTIVATED. pic.twitter.com/RQ7YkMJ2zY
Jake Paul has just called out Conor McGregor ??♂️That’s enough internet for me today
“McGregor has that same pay-per-view draw, I have that same pay-per-view draw, and I think after I take down a couple more opponents, Jake Paul vs Conor McGregor is gonna be undeniable.”
McGregor was involved in one of the most lucrative fights of all time when he switched disciplines to face the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match in 2017, and Mayweather’s angry acceptance of an expletive-strewn challenge from Paul’s sibling earlier this month fueled talk of another unlikely match-up taking place.
The likes of Mayweather and McGregor are seemingly ready to take part in unusual fights again in order to fully exploit their earning potential, with stars such as the Pauls, who have huge followings outside of sport, becoming more financially valuable than established fighters.
Paul also said that his scrap with NBA Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson, which is part of this weekend’s much-anticipated card headlined by veterans Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr, was an indication of the attraction of high-profile names as much as a competitive spectacle for many fans.
“This fight on Saturday has already shattered pay-per-view pre-sale records, by far,” he claimed.
Conor McGregor lasted 10 rounds with Mayweather, the only pro boxer without a loss in his professional career. But, I’m in for the slaughter of Jake Paul ??? pic.twitter.com/NhnmY6b5tL
Why did I just see Jake Paul say he’s a better boxer than Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal ?
Be careful what you’re askren for https://t.co/beXF8HmM3Gpic.twitter.com/DYxFTWYbHB
“This is a business and we’re talking about pay-per-view buys. There’s no other fighter with as big of a platform as me that’s calling [McGregor] out right now.
“He wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, Manny Pacquiao will destroy him. It’ll be another embarrassing night for him, just like when he got embarrassed by Floyd.
“And so Jake Paul vs Conor McGregor is bound to happen. I know he’s seen these interviews, I know he’s seen the sh*t-talk, and it’s gonna happen.”
McGregor and Pacquiao’s shared manager, Audie Attar, confirmed that their boxing bout would go ahead. “He’s going to be handling business against Dustin first, but Conor’s come out and said he wants to fight Manny,” he told Bloomberg.
Jake Paul-Nate Robinson on the undercard is all you gotta know about this fight. They’ll feign aggression but mostly just paw at each other so nobody gets hurt, a la Mayweather-McGregor. Then again, can’t say I wouldn’t dance for $10M.
Basically nobody realized that thing was in 3 days but Jake Paul’s sittin over here talking bout how he gets the same PPV draws as McGregor, the biggest UFC star ever.
“Manny’s come out and said he wants to fight Conor. As I’ve stated publicly before, we’ve had conversations.
“That is a fight that we’re definitely going to make because both fighters want it, and there seems to be interest from the fans all around the world.”
Paul seemed realistic about his brother’s chances of beating Mayweather, who used Twitter to promise him the same outcome as McGregor suffered when they fought. “You can’t go up against the greatest fighter of all time in the boxing ring and expect anything other than a loss,” he told BT Sport.
“I don’t know why he’s setting himself up for failure. It’s definitely huge and I’d be proud of him for locking that down, it’s legendary.
“I just don’t know if I could go to the fight. I don’t know if I could go watch him get beat up, it wouldn’t be fun.”
Paul’s outburst completed a busy week of headline-grabbing in which he claimed Covid-19 was a “hoax” and called out MMA fighters including former Bellator champion Ben Askren.
“I don’t know,” a perplexed-sounding Askren responded to MMA Fighting. “I’m not a boxer but I could beat up a bum YouTube celebrity.
“It would be something to do because you could say, ‘I did it.’ I don’t want to go box f*cking Roy Jones and get my ass whooped or nothing.
“But I could box some YouTube bum and get paid for it? What a tremendous livelihood.”
